50 Independent School Principals in Queensland

Queensland’s independent schools are not one neat category. They include long-established grammar schools, faith-based colleges, regional schools and growing campuses serving very different communities.

This listicle is a practical starting point for anyone trying to understand the people leading that work. It focuses on principals, headmasters and equivalent senior leaders whose current school pages provide a clear public signal of their role.

The useful question is not who has the flashiest profile. It is what each leader appears to be responsible for, what kind of community they are leading, and what other leaders can learn from the public evidence available.

The list covers Queensland outside Brisbane, with a mix of South East Queensland, the Sunshine Coast, regional centres and North Queensland. It is a working list, not a ranking.

1. David Radke

Head of College, Grace Lutheran College, Rothwell. The leadership page identifies him as Head of College and describes the school across Rothwell and Caboolture. Clarity across campuses matters because families should feel one school, not two disconnected experiences.

2. Shane Altmann

Principal, Faith Lutheran College Redlands, Victoria Point. The college presents a two-campus community across Victoria Point and Thornlands. A principal has to make the shared promise visible in every campus and every ordinary interaction.

3. Michael Hornby

Headmaster, Ormiston College, Ormiston. The school describes itself as an independent Prep to Year 12 college in the Redlands. The useful question is not only what a school offers, but whether its daily choices match its stated ambition.

4. Andrew Kelly

Principal, Living Faith Lutheran Primary School, Redlands. The principal welcome places the school in a dedicated Lutheran primary setting in Redlands. Primary leadership shows how culture is taught through routines long before it is explained in speeches.

5. Andrew Hawkins

Headmaster, The Southport School, Southport. The school describes him as its ninth Headmaster and notes his connection as a former student from Emerald. A long school story can be a strength when leaders use it to welcome the next generation, not freeze the past.

6. Daniel Brown

Principal, Emmanuel College, Carrara. The college presents itself as an Anglican Prep to Year 12 community in Carrara. Values become useful when students, staff and families can recognise them in a decision made on a Tuesday.

7. Patrick Innes-Hill

Principal, Coomera Anglican College, Upper Coomera. The college introduced him as its second Principal in 2023 after three decades in education. New leaders inherit history, but they also need permission to name what the next chapter requires.

8. Michael Kleidon

Principal, Saint Stephen’s College, Upper Coomera. The leadership page lists him as Principal and records his leadership from 2024. A recent leadership chapter is a chance to make expectations plain before habits harden.

9. Erik Hofsink

Principal, Rivermount College, Yatala. The school presents itself as an independent Prep to Year 12 college at Yatala. Good school leadership keeps the experience coherent from the first enrolment question to the final year.

10. Anna Owen

Principal, Sunshine Coast Grammar School, Forest Glen. The school describes her as its fourth principal since 2022 and notes her return to Queensland after Canberra Girls Grammar. Leadership transitions work best when a community can see both continuity and a clear reason for change.

11. Michelle Carroll

Principal, Matthew Flinders Anglican College, Buderim. The school identifies her as its fifth principal from January 2024 after a decade at St Catherine’s Melbourne. A leader arriving from elsewhere brings useful perspective, but trust is built through local attention.

12. Eloise Beveridge

Principal, Immanuel Lutheran College, Buderim. The college presents a Lutheran Prep to Year 12 community in Buderim. A clear school identity helps people make better choices when the answer is not in a policy manual.

13. Anthony Dyer

Principal, Good Shepherd Lutheran College, Noosaville. The college presents a Prep to Year 12 Lutheran community in Noosa. Leaders earn belief when they connect a big purpose to the small moments students actually experience.

14. Bronwyn Dolling

Principal, Pacific Lutheran College, Meridan Plains. The college is presented as a Lutheran Prep to Year 12 school in the fast-growing Sunshine Coast corridor. Growth makes culture more important, because new people need a simple way to know how things work.

15. Adam Forsyth

Headmaster, Ipswich Grammar School, Ipswich. The school describes him as its seventeenth Headmaster from Term 4 2024 and notes a family connection as an old boy. Tradition is most useful when it gives people a standard for the future, not only a story about the past.

16. Ray Celegato

Principal, St Edmund’s College, Woodend, Ipswich. The college presents a Christian Brothers tradition in a Catholic boys school in Ipswich. A strong tradition can make care visible, especially when leaders say what good belonging looks like.

17. Craig Merritt

Principal, John Paul College, Daisy Hill. The school presents an independent Prep to Year 12 college in Logan. Large communities need leaders who make the promised experience feel personal and practical.

18. Dan Walker

Principal and Chief Executive Officer, Canterbury College, Waterford. The college uses a combined Principal and Chief Executive Officer title. When one role carries both culture and operations, the link between good intent and good systems becomes impossible to ignore.

19. Allison Elcoate

Principal, Trinity College, Beenleigh. The college presents an independent Roman Catholic coeducational secondary community in Beenleigh. A school’s values become credible when they shape how adults respond to pressure, not only how students are addressed.

20. Stephen Wilson

Principal, Livingstone Christian College, Ormeau. The school presents an independent Christian college on the Logan and Gold Coast border. Border communities often hold different expectations, so leaders need to make the shared standard easy to see.

21. Cherylynne Gostelow

Principal and CEO, Calvary Christian College, Carbrook. The college presents two campuses across Springwood and Carbrook and uses a combined Principal and CEO role. Multiple campuses and a broad remit call for simple promises that can survive distance and complexity.

22. John Kinniburgh

Headmaster, Toowoomba Grammar School, Toowoomba. The school records him as Headmaster from 2021. Steady leadership gives a community room to improve without making every change feel like a crisis.

23. Leigh Hobart

Principal, Fairholme College, Toowoomba. The principal welcome records her education qualifications, including an EdD, MEd and BEd from QUT. Expertise matters most when it turns into clearer choices for teachers, students and families.

24. Stephen Koch

Principal, Downlands College, Toowoomba. The college records him as its leader from 2019. A clear sense of direction helps people spend energy on the work that matters rather than guessing what leadership wants.

25. Martina Millard

Principal, Marymount College, Burleigh Waters. The college presents a Catholic Prep to Year 12 community at Burleigh Waters. The best culture work is visible in how a school helps young people become more capable and more considerate.

26. Marcus Richardson

Principal, Aquinas College, Ashmore. The college presents a Catholic Prep to Year 12 community in Ashmore. A school can hold high standards and deep care together when leaders describe both without apology.

27. Rees Davis

Executive Principal, King’s Christian College, Pimpama. The school identifies him as Executive Principal of its Pimpama campus. A campus leader has to translate the wider organisation’s intent into a local experience people can trust.

28. Steven Morris

Principal, Springfield Anglican College, Springfield. The college records him as principal from early 2020 and describes a growing school community. Growth is healthier when leaders protect the parts of culture that made people choose the school in the first place.

29. Tyson Kenny

Principal, Faith Lutheran College Plainland, Plainland. The college describes his appointment after more than sixteen years in the school community. Long service can create strong trust when it is paired with the courage to keep learning.

30. Dr Phillip Moulds OAM

Headmaster, The Rockhampton Grammar School, Rockhampton. The official leadership page lists Dr Phillip Moulds OAM as Headmaster. Regional schools need leaders who make opportunity feel real, not limited by postcode.

31. Kara Krehlik

Principal, Rockhampton Girls Grammar School, Rockhampton. The school staff page lists Kara Krehlik as Principal. A strong girls’ school gives leadership a chance to make confidence and agency part of the everyday curriculum.

32. Matthew Hughes

Principal, St Luke’s Anglican School, Bundaberg. The school’s key staff page lists Mr Matthew Hughes as Principal. A local school becomes a stronger community when its leadership makes welcome more than a word.

33. Joe Wright

Principal, Fraser Coast Anglican College, Hervey Bay. The college lists Joe Wright as Principal and records his appointment from 2018. A long tenure creates the chance to build a culture that is recognisable to students and families.

34. Brian Grimes

Principal, Bayside Christian College, Hervey Bay. The principal welcome lists Brian Grimes as Principal. A clear welcome helps families understand not only what a school teaches, but how it intends to care.

35. Andrew Wheaton

Principal, Whitsunday Anglican School, Mackay. The school describes him as its sixth Principal. Regional leadership carries a special responsibility to connect local pride with broad opportunity.

36. Kylie Langshore

Principal, Whitsunday Christian College, Beaconsfield. The college lists Kylie Langshore as Principal and describes itself as a non-denominational not-for-profit school and ISQ member. Independent schools need a clear centre of gravity so autonomy becomes useful rather than confusing.

37. Juanita Eime

Principal, Peace Lutheran College, Cairns. The college’s principal page lists Juanita Eime as Principal. A school’s sense of place is strongest when leaders connect care, learning and the wider community.

38. Luke Baills

Principal, The Cathedral School of St Anne and St James, Townsville. The school identifies Luke Baills as Principal in its current leadership and principal material. Good leadership helps a school honour its story while giving students room to make their own.

39. Connor Barrett

Principal, Townsville Grammar School, Townsville. The school’s governance material lists Connor Barrett as Principal. An established school still needs a current, visible promise about the experience it offers now.

40. Marcelle Calitz

Principal, Annandale Christian College, Townsville. The college’s principal welcome lists Marcelle Calitz as Principal. The best leaders give people enough clarity to act with confidence without waiting for permission.

41. Matthew Scott

College Principal, Freshwater Christian College, Cairns. The college’s current material identifies Matthew Scott as College Principal. A clear college-wide purpose helps people make consistent choices across learning and community life.

42. Paul Sjogren

Principal, Trinity Anglican School, Cairns. The Anglican Church North Queensland profile records Paul Sjogren as Principal from 2017. Good leaders make the school’s mission practical enough to guide a hard conversation.

43. Mike Curtis

Principal, Glasshouse Christian College, Beerwah. The college records Mike Curtis as Principal since 2008. Long-term leadership can turn a set of values into habits people can recognise without being told.

44. Michael Stock

Principal, St James Lutheran College, Hervey Bay. The executive staff page lists Michael Stock as Principal. A community grows stronger when leaders make the ordinary experience feel intentional.

45. Dr Lesley Tunnah

Principal, Mackay Christian College, Mackay. The college’s 2026 newsletters identify Dr Lesley Tunnah as Principal. Current leadership evidence matters because a useful list should help people act on what is true now.

46. Luke Schoff

Principal, St Andrews Lutheran College, Peregian Springs. The college describes Luke Schoff as its fifth Principal in current 2026 material. A leadership transition is a useful moment to say what the community will keep and what it will improve.

47. Glen Seivers

College Principal, St Augustine’s College Cairns, Cairns. The leadership team page lists Glen Seivers as College Principal. School leaders shape belonging by making standards and support visible at the same time.

48. Dean Wearmouth

Principal, Shalom College, Bundaberg. The college welcome page lists Dean Wearmouth as Principal. A principal’s public welcome is a small but important signal of what the school wants families to feel.

49. Kath Little

College Principal, St Patrick’s College Townsville, Townsville. The current principal welcome lists Kath Little as College Principal and describes the college’s Mercy values. Values become culture when they are visible in how adults teach, challenge and care.

50. Luke Thomson

Principal, Ignatius Park College, Townsville. The current principal welcome lists Luke Thomson as Principal. A clear leadership message helps students see that high standards and human dignity belong together.